Flight
by An Orange Peon
Summary: He met her on a plane. An innocent enough coincidence. What he did not know, what he could not have known, was just how that meeting would draw him into a side of the world he never thought possible. (One shot)


When a girl dressed in nun's clothes sat down beside him, Alex Mercer thought nothing of it, sparing her no more than a casual glance at her approach before returning his attention to the outdated magazine he held in his hands that had been stuffed behind the chair in front of him. He did feel a very small twinge of disappointment, however. In a surprisingly human way, he had hoped that he would be lucky enough to get the entire row of airplane seats for himself. As crowded as the seats of the plane were, it would have been a blessed mercy. Alas, it was not to be.

"Hello, there," the girl greeted him, once more lifting his attention away from the magazine. He grunted in response and nodded at her, before once more turning his attention back to the magazine. But the girl was either uncaring of his curt, unfriendly response or she was too socially inept to realize it. Either way, she braved onward and forcibly continued. "What's your name?"

Alex held in a sigh and carefully folded the corner of the page he was on before closing it. He looked at the girl more carefully this time. Observing her. Studying her. Sizing her up. She was a young, frail thing, not yet fully developed as a woman, but neither was she a mere child. Her long blonde hair fell out in straight, golden locks from beneath a small white veil on top of her head. Her emerald eyes, which almost seemed to shine even underneath the faintest of lights, stared penetratingly at him. Looking at them, Alex realized that the girl was scared. This confused him, as he had not yet done anything to make her scared of him. He had been unfriendly, perhaps. Maybe even rude. But scary? He had not done scary. Yet.

As the girl fidgeted slightly in her seat, the realization hit Alex like sudden dawn. It wasn't _him_ that she was afraid of. It was the _airplane._ It made sense, he supposed. Aviophobia was not particularly uncommon.

"Alex Mercer," he finally responded.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Mercer," the girl said cheerfully. "This is going to be my first time flying in an airplane."

Alex blinked at the girl, not quite certain why she had thought it was important for him to know that fact.

"That's nice...?"

"Do you think we'll be all right?" she continued babbling. "I mean, what if the plane crashes?"

Alex carefully considered his response, wondering how to reassure the girl of the needless worry. Statistically speaking, one was more likely to die in a car crash than in a plane crash. Alex did a mental double take, realizing that might be just what the girl needed to hear. He told her so.

"But that means that plane crashes _do_ happen," she argued. "What if this one does?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm certain the pilots are trained to make a safe landing in such an event. But in the worst case scenario, I suppose we'll die."

Well, _he_ wouldn't, at least, but that wasn't relevant. A moment later, he knew he had said the wrong thing.

The girl's eyes widened. "Do you really think so? Do you really think we might die?" She twiddled her fingers nervously. "Oh dear. Do you think I should go wish the pilots good luck?"

Alex was just about to say that she would probably be barred from entering the pilots' cabin, but before he could, the girl stood up and pumped a fist determinedly.

"Yes, that's what I'll do," she said. "Maybe if we have time, we can pray together to God for a safe trip. I'll be right back, Mister Mercer."

Alex stared at the back of the nun girl as she left her seat. Then he sighed and reopened his magazine and began reading once more. A few minutes later, the girl predictably returned.

"The flight attendant said I'm not allowed in there," the girl said with a crestfallen expression so genuine that Alex wondered what made her think that she would have been allowed in in the first place. "I know!" she suddenly brightened. "Do you want to pray with me instead, Mister Mercer?"

Silently, he groaned and closed his eyes, a gesture that the girl seemed to have mistaken for acceptance. From beside him, he heard her softly utter words of prayer. Alex pinched the bridge of his nose.

This was going to be one long flight.

* * *

><p>Eventually, he learned that the girl's name was Asia Argento, and as luck would have it, she was headed to the exact same destination as he was: Japan. She was even going to the same city he was going to. This, of course, meant that he was stuck with her for the entire flight.<p>

It wasn't that he disliked the girl. While chatty, her manner of speaking was not at all abrasive. In fact, if he were to be totally honest with himself, he would admit that the first couple of hours were even somewhat enjoyable, though only slightly. The problem lay in the fact that she talked to him _relentlessly._ Just like how a person would get sick of eating the same food over and over again, he was becoming exhausted being the sole conversational partner to the young girl.

It wasn't her fault she was being so talkative. He knew that. She was genuinely afraid of riding in an airplane for the first time. Talking was her way of relieving some of that pressure, or at least distract her from it. That was a fairly normal response. However, when this continued on for _hours_ without break... Well, even his patience had its limits, and he had never been an altogether patient person.

"Asia," Alex broke in in the middle of Asia's inane story about a stray cat she had befriended a few weeks ago. "I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep for now."

"Oh, yes. Of course," Asia said. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how long I was talking. I'm really sorry about that."

"It's fine," Alex said and closed his eyes.

Finally. Some peace and quiet.

… Or not.

He groaned inwardly when Asia began nervously fidgeting and squirming in her seat. No longer able to speak, she found herself once more attentive to the fact that she was, in her mind, in a flying metal deathtrap. The constant rustling sound of her clothes bothered him, grating on his razor sharp senses, but it was when she started muttering out a prayer again that he sighed, opened his eyes, and gave up on trying to escape from the girl.

But he would be damned before he let himself sit there and be subjected to a one sided speech again. If he had to listen to Asia speak, then it would be in a proper conversation.

"Actually," Alex said, opening his eyes again, "never mind about that. Why are you going to Japan? You don't look like a tourist. Do you have someone you know there?"

Asia's face underwent an interesting evolution. There were traces of brightening, her mood considerably cheered from having her conversational partner back. Simultaneously, there were also hints of sadness and negativity at the question that was brought up. The contradictory emotions did curious things to her expression. She must have realized how she appeared, though, and quickly shut it down with a smile, though this time it was considerably more forced.

Somehow, he knew that he had stepped on a landmine and he wondered if he should apologize for it. After a moment of thought, he decided against it. Judging by the way she masked her troubled emotions, she probably did not want to draw attention to the truth of the matter. It would be wisest course of action to pretend that he didn't notice anything was wrong. So he remained silent and waited for her to make up whatever lie or excuse she wanted.

"Yes," Asia said, still forcing her smile. "I've been transferred to a church in Japan by the Vatican. I'll be staying with my new convent brothers and sisters."

"Interesting. Japan doesn't have a very large Christian population."

"No," she sighed, allowing her smile to drop, "it does not."

Alex cocked his head. "You don't want to go there?"

"I'm just a little afraid of moving to a foreign country," Asia said. "But I'm certain that this too is a trial set forth by God, and through his grace I shall overcome."

"Oh," Alex said. "Good luck with your, uh, 'trial.'"

"Thank you," Asia said gracefully. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you going to Japan?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't have a reason."

Asia frowned. "But you must have a reason if you decided to spend the money to travel so far away."

"I have no special reason," Alex repeated. "Japan was just a place I decided to go to at random."

"Truly?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "I guess you could say I'm just doing some world traveling."

"That sounds so exciting," Asia murmured. "Where have you been so far?"

"The U.S., western Africa, the Middle East, Russia, America again, Mexico, and then Rome," Alex listed. "In that order."

"Wow," Asia said. "That's amazing. I'm jealous. This will be my first time leaving Italy."

"It's not that great," Alex shrugged.

"But it is," Asia insisted. "You got to see so much of the world God created, more than most other people get to. That's amazing."

Alex snorted and grunted in response; an ambiguous answer.

And like that, the two continued to pass the time talking of mundane, unimportant things, until Asia finally lost her energy and peacefully went to sleep. When next she awoke, it was when they landed in Japan. There they bid their farewells and went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>The next time he saw Asia Argento was by pure chance. He had been aimlessly wandering throughout the city and had stopped to relax under the shade of a tree in an unimportant park when he spotted Asia talking cheerfully with a Japanese boy. As far away as he was, she had yet to notice him watching them from a distance, and that suited him just fine.<p>

_Good for her, _he thought to himself. Perhaps a date would help acclimate her to her new environment.

Alex silently stood up and turned to move on. He had no reason to interrupt Asia's date, and they were not so close that he was obligated to call out to her and greet her as friends. It was best that he leave her be to enjoy the present atmosphere.

However, it was at that moment that he felt a soft tug on the edges of his consciousness. It was the warning of his instinct and senses of a new arrival. He turned back around and saw that a black-winged woman, almost like that of a harpy of myth, was leering down upon Asia and her boyfriend.

"The hell is that?" Alex murmured, eyes wide as he realized that not only were those wings real, but the girl was actually hovering inches above the large fountain that dominated the central area of the park, seemingly without any form of aid.

For a moment, the harpy, the boy, and Asia talked. The harpy's expression was that of haughty arrogance. The boys, of anger. Asia's, of fear. Whatever they were talking about, it was clear there was bad blood between them.

When batlike wings suddenly unfurled from the boy's back, Alex's already widened eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. At the same time, there was a flash of crimson light as a red metallic gauntlet appeared out of nowhere and encased the boy's hand.

Alex was not at all unaccustomed to impossible sights nor to the notion of utterly inhuman beings. However, never had he seen anything like this, and he struggled to make sense of it all. So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he nearly missed out on the conversation the three were having. From what tidbits he managed to pick up in his daze, he heard strange terms one would not ordinarily hear in everyday conversation, such as fallen angels, devils, and "Sacred Gears."

Then the winged woman, the "fallen angel," threw a shining spear of light at the boy's guts, piercing through him and jutting out of his back. Drenched in blood, the spear continued to emanate a crimson glow, before dimming and then fading away. Once it was gone, the boy coughed up nearly as much blood as the amount that was now pouring out of the open hole in his body. He collapsed to his knees, only barely managing to keep himself from falling all the way.

"Issei!" Asia cried out in horror, and then, to Alex's disbelief, she placed her hands over the wound and began healing it. Literally, flesh and new organ parts began to fill in the hole like seeping moss. Mere seconds later, the injury was totally gone, the only trace of it having ever even existed being the holes left behind in the boy's shirt.

The fallen angel clicked her tongue and made an annoyed face. "Now, then, Asia come back to me. You are still necessary to our plans."

Asia shook her head vigorously with misty eyes and clutched the boy's arm. "No, I don't want to. You guys hurt and killed people. I don't want to go back with you."

"Don't say that," the fallen angel said, a dangerous hint to her tone. "If you do, I'll have to kill that devil and take you away by force."

Asia's eyes widened fearfully. She glanced from the fallen angel to the devil boy and then back to the fallen angel.

"... I understand."

"Asia! No!" the boy cried out desperately. He reached out for the girl, who silently brushed his hand aside and walked over to the fallen angel.

"Issei," Asia said, looking back at him from beside the fallen angel. "Today was a lot of fun. Thank you for everything."

"Asia!" the devil, Issei, howled in despair, as jet black wings were wrapped around Asia and the two disappeared from the place.

For a moment, Alex watched the boy let out tears of grief and frustration, before slowly turning his head back towards where the fallen angel had disappeared from.

_What. The. Hell. Was. That._

How the hell had that fallen angel just disappear like that? Teleportation? That wasn't even possible! That was something that belonged to the realm of science-fiction and the like. Alex leaned back against a tree and brought one hand up to his head.

This wasn't possible. Fallen angels. Devils. Sacred Gears. None of this was possible.

Alex blinked, and then chuckled softly to himself.

Really? Was _he_ of all people saying that something was impossible? Ridiculous. But more important than notions of impossibility was the simple and very real fact that Asia had been taken away by someone who very clearly had less-than-good intentions for her in mind. He had no idea just what exactly that harpy was planning, but as he turned and walked away from the park, he resolved to himself that he would stop it.

* * *

><p>Thick oaken doors barred Alex's way. Very lightly, he put a hand against its wooden surface and gave it a nudge. It shifted slightly, but refused to fully open. Judging from the faint clinking sound from the other side, it seemed that it was locked by a padlock and a simple set of chains.<p>

Alex nearly laughed.

Really? The best a so-called fallen angel could come up to defend her base of operations was a security system that wouldn't hold back even a regular crook or a particularly stubborn teenager? Truly, if this level of competence was what he could expect out of her, then this would be far easier than he thought.

Still, Alex mused as he looked up at the abandoned church he found himself in front of, at least her choice of location was a fairly good one. Hardly anyone came to this place, and it had taken even him quite some time to track her down to this place.

Without further ado, Alex kicked the door down with a single swift kick. The door flew off its hinges and into the cavernous atrium of the dilapidated building with a crashing sound that was explosive in the stillness of the night.

"Who the hell are you?"

The speaker was a man with hair that appeared silver underneath the moonlight. He stood at the opposite end of the atrium, placing himself directly in front of a worn down altar. With a scowl, he pointed at the broken doors.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that you should always knock before entering?" he chided. "Or that you should never kick doors down?"

Alex said nothing, choosing instead to stare at the man.

"Ooh, the mysterious silent type," the strange man said mockingly, waving his hands around for effect. "Whatever. Get the fuck out of here. You're trespassing."

"Where's Asia?"

The man ceased all motion. Then, slowly, he began to smile a smile that spread nearly from ear to ear. His teeth gleamed underneath the silver night and served only to grant his eager expression a feral taste.

"Ah. So you know her," he practically giggled. He pushed aside the altar and gestured towards the hidden stairwell that reached down into the bowels of the earth. "She's right this way," he gestured with a formal bow. "After you."

Alex walked forward, down the aisle, and past the man. But the moment he set foot on the first step of the stairwell, he felt a burning sensation pierce his body. Blinking, he looked down to see a sword stabbed through his body. This was no ordinary sword, however. Like the spear the fallen angel had thrown, this too was seemingly formed of solid light. With almost childish curiosity, Alex brought a finger up and touched the blade.

_Interesting,_ he thought to himself. Though the blade was searingly hot to the touch, the actual amount of heat emanating from the sword was minimal. It was as if all its energy was perfectly contained in the sword. No, more accurately, it was as if the sword itself was composed of this light. Though he could scarcely believe it, was this one of those plasma-based weaponry that dominated science-fiction games and movies?

Also interesting was the location the silver-haired man had chosen to stab him in. For a normal human, it was a painful wound, perhaps even mortal. However, it was not immediately fatal. It was painful, certainly, perhaps even mortal, but even for a normal human, it would not be immediately fatal.

"Heh, heh," the man snickered sadistically. "I seriously can't believe you actually fell for that. Now I'm gonna have a lot of fun fuckin' with you. I think I'll start off by chopping off your legs, just so you can't run, and then slowly take you apart piece by piece. That'll be exciting, don't you think?"

Ah. So that was it. He was the type to play with his food before eating it. Well, he had just the right response for that.

Utterly ignoring the sword in his body, Alex torqued his body, sending a backfist smashing into the man's head. Not expecting the speed and suddenness at which Alex lashed out, the man took the strike full force, sending him straight into the ground. Bones shattered audibly in both neck and skull, assuring a swift death.

Alex pulled out the sword from his body, allowing himself to repair the hole in his flesh and clothes, and tossed it aside and continued walking down the hidden passageway. Eventually, the stairs opened up into a cave-like room. The walls and ceiling were of solid stone, and various pillars supported the weight of the church above, keeping it from coming crashing down on them all. Under the dim light of the torches hanging from the walls, Alex saw the dozens of cloaked people standing before a tall sacrificial altar. At the top was the same black-winged woman from before, along with Asia who was chained to a cross, unconscious.

"Welcome, devi-" the black-winged woman began dramatically while turning around, only to stop upon seeing him. "Who are you?"

"I'm here for Asia," Alex stated. "Give her to me."

"A friend of hers?" She sneered. "And what will you do if I don't?"

"Then I'll kill you."

The woman laughed maniacally. "You're funny. I don't know how you knew where to find us or how you got past Freed, but it matters not. Kill him."

"Yes, Mistress Raynare!" the cloaked group at the base of the altar cried out in unison.

A forest of light swords emerged, which was then accompanied by a rousing battle cry as the armed men and women began surging towards him like a living wave.

That all came to screeching halt upon seeing the transformation Alex was going through.

Like molten metal, the flesh of his right arm shifted and churned, slagging down its length. Though it took only a second for it to complete the transformation, all eyes remained glued on the arm in disgust and utter bewilderment during the entire process.

"What the hell?" Raynare murmured.

Bringing his transformed arm back, Alex then swung it in a wide arc. At the same time, the whipfist extended, revealing its full, terrifying visage for all his foes to see. It was a long black tentacle lined with gleaming, steel-like blades and tipped by two lethally long barbed spikes and two curved, fishhook-like ones protruding to the sides at their base.

So caught off guard were they that nearly half of the swordsmen and women did not react in time. The bladed tentacle sliced through them as easily as a knife would cut through butter. The rest, however, had proven to be of sterner stuff and dodged the attack with minimal to zero injuries.

"What the hell are you!?" Raynare shrieked, a spear of light forming in her hands.

The spear flew through the air with blinding speed. It pierced Alex squarely through the chest and flung him back several feet. But no cries of pain emerged from the viral being. No, the only thing he did was stand back up and calmly pull the spear out.

"You," Raynare demanded, "are you even human?"

Alex's arms and hands transformed once again, this time turning into a set of abnormally long claws. He ran forward, and like a wolf let loose amongst hapless sheep, he tore through the bodies of those arrayed against him. Claws flashed, followed by showers of blood. Swords struck him, carving out flesh underneath their burning blades. But the ordinarily mortal wounds did little to slow him down. Unstoppable, he continued to carve a bloody swathe through their numbers, until finally the spirit of the humans crumbled. What few remained scattered, like mice drenched in the blood of their comrades.

"Stop!" Raynare cried out furiously. "Get back here, you worthless cowards!"

But despite Raynare's words, her subordinates did not return. Pushing and stumbling over themselves, they fled, screaming bloody curses. Within seconds, the room was fully empty of all life, save for three.

"Now, then," Alex turned to stare calmly at Raynare, "give her back to me."

"You have to be kidding me," Raynare spat. "After coming this far, do you really think I'd say yes just because you ask me to?"

"I wasn't asking," Alex said, and flicked his claws to the side, removing the blood that soaked it in a shower of crimson droplets.

"Damn you," Raynare said. "Damn you for this, you monster."

Alex looked at the spear that had formed in Raynare's hands and snorted. "There is nothing you can do with that that will get you out of here alive. You do know that, right?"

"Shut up!" Raynare shouted. "Who are you to Asia, anyway? For what reason do you have for interrupting this ritual? You realize that Grigori shall not be pleased by this interference, don't you?"

Alex shrugged. "I sat next to her on the flight here from Italy."

"You're joking," Raynare said flatly. "You risked your life to save a girl you hardly even know?"

"Do I need another reason?" Alex said rhetorically. "As for Grigori, I don't know who or what that is, so I don't care if I piss them off. Now, are we going to do this easy way," claws rubbed together, creating a grating, menacing, steel-like sound, "or the hard way?"

Raynare cursed and snarled, but slowly lowered her hands and allowed the spear to fade away into tiny motes of light. Then, with strength belied her slender figure, she grabbed the chains binding Asia and tore them off. The blonde nun dropped into the fallen angel's awaiting arms, who then unceremoniously tossed her through the air to Alex. Immediately, Alex changed his arms back to normal and moved forward to catch the girl. But just before the moment of contact, a streak of light flew through the air, piercing Asia through the heart and into his own body. Slowly, Asia slid down the spear and into Alex's arms, leaving blood along its shining shaft.

His eyes widened and all pretenses of calmness vanished then. Opening his mouth, Alex let loose a bloody howl.

"RAYNARE!"

But by then, she was already fleeing for the door as fast as her wings would carry her. For a brief moment, Alex made to chase after her, but then stopped and looked at Asia. He hesitated. And in that brief instant of indecisiveness, Raynare flew through the door and escaped the room.

Alex snarled wordlessly, as a wild beast might, before pulling the spear out of Asia and himself and setting her gently on the ground. He leaned in to her and ripped off the remnants of her tattered clothing in order to take a closer look at her wound.

Raynare, it seemed, had a very deadly aim. Her spear had hit Asia perfectly in the heart, carving it out completely, along with a sizable portion of her chest and back. However, the damage was limited to just the heart. Her other organs had yet to completely shut down. He could fix that. Her brain too was only just starting to enter a state of brain death. He could fix that, too.

Tightening his fingers, Alex stabbed his hand into Asia's stomach. From it, he began pumping a specialized strain of the Blacklight virus, altered to produce a specific result.

Honestly speaking, he had absolutely no idea if this would work, as he had never used it before. However, when one had nothing to lose and everything to gain, it was never a gamble. It was a deed worth doing.

Within Asia's body, he could sense the changes being wrought upon her. The virus infected each and every one of her cells, re-purposing them, changing them, making them more adaptable and resilient. The strain worked quickly. In a matter of seconds, it had finished infecting the entirety of her body's cells. But their host body was dying. This the virus could not allow, and from within the hole in her chest, Alex could see a new heart regrowing in place of the old one. And when the heart began beating strongly and when her chest began moving up and down in rhythmic breathing, Alex nodded to himself, pleased.

Asia would be fine now. Even if she had yet to awake, Alex had every confidence she would make a full recovery, and do so stronger and better than ever before. Now there was only one thing left to do.

Make the bitch who did this pay with her blood.

* * *

><p>"RAYNARE!"<p>

The fallen angel in question glanced over her shoulder frantically as the shout that came from deep within the bowels of the church's underground seemed to shake the very foundations of the building. At the clear fury within the words, Raynare poured even more strength into her wings and flew even faster out of the church.

She was stopped by a solid, metal-clad fist to the face.

"Oof!" Raynare fell backwards and glared up at her ambushers. "Devils," she hissed.

Issei glared back, along with two others, the Knight and Rook of the Gremory heir's peerage.

"Where's Asia?" Issei glowered.

"'Where's Asia,'" Raynare repeated back mockingly. "I swear, what is with you all being so obsessed with that girl?"

"You kidnapped my friend!" Issei said. Beside him, the Knight and Rook took their fighting stances. "If you've hurt her, you'll pay."

"Bah," Raynare said. "You want her, go get her. She's in there, with that monster."

"Monster?" the Knight piped up. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't ask me that," Raynare snapped. "As if _I_ know what that thing is. Look, I don't want to fight. If you want Asia, you can go get her from that monster. I'm running before it catches up to me."

Issei's eyes suddenly widened and he pointed past Raynare. "Behind you!" he cried out.

Raynare whirled around and screamed when an all too familiar tentacle wrapped around her leg. It pulled strongly, toppling her face first into the ground. She struggled desperately, but the pull of the ghastly appendage was far too strong.

"No!" she shrieked and flailed wildly. "Stop! Issei, save me!"

But her pleas for help went unheeded. The devils before her only stared in horror as she was slowly dragged back into the shadowed halls of what was now the monster's lair. She clawed at the ground, striving to get away from the death that awaited her. Nails were ripped off from their very roots in her struggle, but it was in vain. She was swallowed into the church's halls.

A rough hand grabbed her by the collar and picked her up so that they were face to face.

"Welcome back," the monster bared his teeth menacingly.

Raynare screamed.

* * *

><p>By the time Raynare's screaming voice had died away, the three of them were still rooted to the spot.<p>

"What in the world...?" Kiba murmured from beside him.

"What should we do?" Koneko asked quietly.

They both looked to him, and he swallowed nervously. Honestly speaking, this situation was far too much like a horror movie for his liking. He had never, ever been a fan of the horror genre. In fact, he could confess himself to be one of the more easily scared types. That was why he had always been a fan of fun and exciting shows, like the ones about superheroes. However, his own personal anxieties aside, Asia was waiting for him to save her. So no matter what monster resided within the church, he would go to her side.

"Let's go, guys," Issei said.

"Hold on," Kiba put a hand on Issei's shoulder. "Someone is coming out."

The three of them waited with bated breath. The echoing sounds of his footsteps ringing through the air heralded his appearance. A man dressed in a black jacket, grey cowl, and blue jeans. He stared back at them, and a tense atmosphere took hold. For less than half of a minute, but what felt like hours, the two parties simply maintained the deadlock. Then, the stranger broke it off first. He jerked his head back towards the church before walking away, disappearing into the forest that surrounded the remote church.

"Who was that man?" Kiba said, vocalizing what all of them were thinking.

"Who knows," Issei said. "Come on, we need to go see if Asia is there."

The three of them quickly ran into the church. Almost immediately, Issei let out a cry of surprise.

"Oh my," Kiba said.

Lying on an undamaged bench was Asia. However, it was Asia almost entirely in the nude. An excited flush lit up Issei's cheeks, until it was quickly suppressed by Koneko, who grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him down to a height where she could cover his eyes with her hands while Kiba quickly covered the nun's body with his jacket. Only then did the diminutive rook release the pawn.

"Is she... Is she alive?" Issei asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Kiba said, as he examined the girl. "She seems healthy enough. It looks like she's just sleeping."

"Really?" Issei said hoarsely. He went over to Asia's side and gently shook her by the shoulder, urging her to wake. "Asia. Asia, can you hear me? It's Issei."

"Mmnnn..." Asia moaned. Slowly, her eyes fluttered awake. "Issei?" she mumbled. "Why are you here?"

"We're here to save you," Issei said. Then he smiled wryly. "But I guess someone else already beat us to it."

"Eh?" Asia said. "Who did?"

"You mean you don't know?" Issei frowned.

Asia shook her head. "The last thing I remember is being put to sleep by Raynare after she took me from that park."

"You mean a foreign white man with a black jacket and grey hood doesn't ring a bell to you?" Kiba asked. "Rather spooky looking."

"A foreign... Ah. Actually, it does," Asia said. Then she frowned. "But why would Mister Mercer be here?"

"Mister Mercer?" Issei said. "Who's that?"

"He's a person I met on the plane ride here," Asia smiled. "We talked a lot."

"Oh," Issei said. "Anyway, for now, let's get out of here. We can talk more about this later."

"But where will I go?" Asia asked. "I have no other place to stay."

"Then you can stay at my house," Issei said. "It's the least I can do for you."

Asia smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Issei said cheerfully. "Now, let's go home."

_**Author's Notes:**_

_I hope you guys enjoyed this little fic. Not much to say, since this is just a one shot fic that I felt like writing. To be honest, I don't really like how this one turned out, especially the ending, but I didn't want to obsess over a one shot for too long in an attempt to try to make it perfect. Besides, if I ever decide to develop this into a proper series, I'll probably end up editing and/or rewriting it anyway. Though before that happens, I'd have to figure out just where I would even want to take the direction of the story. _

_Anyway, not much else to really say. Hope you guys enjoyed this. Cya 'round._

_- AOP_


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